Deposition and Characterization of Size-Selected Cluster Materials: Towards the Development of New Materials for Hydrogen Storage

氢(H2)作为一种未来的清洁能源具有巨大的潜力，但储氢问题仍然没有得到解决。解决这一问题的一种方法是设计能够在其晶体结构内可逆地结合氢的材料。本提案旨在根据选定的大小集群开发新材料，长期目标是设计用于储氢的量身定制的集群材料。该项目分为三个部分：(1)开发实验能力，对沉积在固体衬底上的选定团簇的大小进行成像；(2)沉积团簇材料，控制影响其二维和三维结构的各种因素；(3)表征有可能用作储氢材料的团簇材料的结构和性能。团簇离子将由磁控溅射源产生，并软着陆在衬底上。稳定将通过共沉积原子或分子(例如反离子)或沉积化学惰性簇(氧化物、碳化物、硫化物、氢化物)来实现。用原位室温STM、XPS和TDS相结合的方法对团簇沉积材料的单分子膜和薄膜进行了表征。

Hydrogen (H2) has tremendous potential to serve as a source of clean energy in the future, but the problem of hydrogen storage is still not solved. One approach to overcome this problem is to design materials which can bind hydrogen reversibly within their crystal structure. The present proposal aims at the development of new materials based on sizeselected clusters with the long-term aim to design tailor-made cluster materials for hydrogen storage. The project is divided into three components: (i) Development of experimental capabilities to image size selected clusters deposited on solid substrates, (ii) deposition of cluster materials and control of the various factors that influence their two and three dimensional structure and (iii) characterization of the structure and properties of cluster materials that have the potential to act as hydrogen storage materials. Cluster ions will be generated with a magnetron sputter source and soft-landed on a substrate. Stabilization will be achieved by codeposition of atoms or molecules (e.g., counter ions) or deposition of chemically inert clusters (oxides, carbides, sulphides, hydrides). Monolayers and thin films of cluster deposited materials will be characterized using a combination of in-situ room temperature STM, XPS and TDS.